J.J. Watt has just made his position very clear when it comes to where he stands on kneeling during the national anthem and whether it is disrespecting the flag or not.
On Saturday afternoon, Watt responded to a since-deleted tweet from a fan that said that he wouldn't be taking a knee during the anthem this upcoming season.
"A) don't speak for me," Watt began his response. "B) if you still think it’s about disrespecting the flag or our military, you clearly haven’t been listening."
Watt's response comes after other NFL players like Drew Brees initially came under fire for conflating kneeling during the national anthem as disrespecting the country and the veterans who fought for it. Brees has since apologized for his comments on kneeling, saying that it was never his intention to disrespect his friends, teammates, and those he respects deeply.
"I know there’s not much I can say that would make things any better right now but I just want you to see in my eyes how sorry I am for the comments I made yesterday," Brees said in the video he posted to Instagram last week. "I know that it hurt many people, especially friends, teammates, former teammates, loved ones, people that I care and respect deeply. That was never my intention."
The NFL has also decided to take a stand in trying to combat systemic racism, despite the challenges it gave to Colin Kaepernick when he first began kneeling during the anthem. On Thursday, the league announced a new pledge to donate $250 million over a 10-year period to combat systemic racism.
